Best Headphones Under $100 In 2019 (Wireless, Over-Ear, In-Ear)

Can We Achieve Audiophile-Grade Performance With These Best Headphones Under $100?

Audiophile headphones are very expensive for most people, with a price point of several hundred dollars. With that being said, a lot of manufacturers are trying to design headphones under a hundred bucks, as such headphones are easily accessible to most people. This creates a huge competition among the manufacturers, providing users with a lot of choices to buy from. In this article, we will discuss some of the best headphones under a hundred dollars including wireless, over-ear, and in-ear headphones.

Sennheiser is one of the best companies in the world when it comes to high-end headphones. Sennheiser HD 559 are nowhere near audiophile-grade headphones, they provide immense sound quality for the price. First of all, the physical design of the headphones is quite attractive, with a black and silver color theme. The headband and the earpads are extremely comfortable and these headphones are no doubt the most comfortable set of headphones on this list. A strange thing about the connectivity of these headphones is that they are not available with 3.5mm jack and you will have to buy a 3rd party adapter if you want to use them on your phone or other devices with a 3.5mm port.

Since these are open-back cans by design, the soundstage of these headphones is much better than other headphones, as expected from the HD 500-series models by Sennheiser. The headphones do emphasize on the bass with very slight of it bleeding into the mids. The vocals are not as clear as the higher-end models in the HD 500-series but the other instrumental sounds are well-balanced. There is slight brightness in the sound as well but without any signs of piercing effect that you would find in other brightened headphones. Since these are open-back headphones, their noise isolation capability is as good as none, which is why these headphones are not good for use in public places.

Overall, Sennheiser HD 559 is one of the most comfortable headphones under $100 and definitely one of the best-sounding cans too, although make sure that you own a 6.3mm to 3.5mm adapter.

Grado SR80e is an attractive pair of headphones with on-ear design and this is one of those companies which are considered rivals of Sennheiser in terms of sound quality. The earpads of the headphones are not very comfortable, which is why a lot of people use custom earpads with these headphones. There is a minimal amount of padding on the headband too, also affecting the comfort.

The sound quality of these headphones is just the opposite of their comfort levels and these cans sound good in every genre. The frequency response of the headphones is great for mid and there is quite much brightness in the headphones as well, which might be uncomfortable for some people, although the sub-bass is greatly under-emphasized. This lack of bass provides the user with even the tiniest details in the music which get unheard in bass-heavy headphones.

Overall, Grado SR80e might not be very comfortable but these headphones are definitely one of the best on-ear headphones under a hundred bucks.

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x is the sibling of the more popular ATH-M50x headphones and use smaller drivers. The foldable design of the headphones makes them very portable while the closed-back earcups ensure better noise isolation than open-back headphones. The headphones come with a detachable cable, which is a nice decision by the manufacturer, although the quality of this cable is quite questionable.

These headphones majorly emphasize on the bass while keeping good detail in the mid and highs. There is a bit of recession in the mid but results in very little loss of detail due to this recession.

Overall, Audio-Technica ATH-M40x is one of the best over-ear headphones under $100 and you should definitely check them out if you like a bass-heavy sound signature.

Sony MDR-7506 is one of those old-style headphones you can find these days, providing a spiral cable and boring-looking earcups. The length of the cable is quite long, however, providing ease of use. The looks of the headphones could have been much better, although the comfort levels are not compromised and these headphones feel quite comfortable, even after using for a couple of hours.

The sound signature of these headphones is quite boring for music listeners but the flat frequency response provides a great advantage in critical listening, making these headphones perfect for studios.

Overall, Sony MDR-7506 might not provide you with the best of looks but these are no doubt one of the best studio headphones under $100.

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro is a great alternative to the Sony MDR-7506 and is one of the best studio headphones by Sennheiser under a hundred bucks. The headphones are fairly comfortable, with soft earpads and comfortable headband, although the build quality of these headphones is not as good as the previously mentioned headphones, making them prone to wear and tear after a couple of years.

The frequency response of the headphones is although not as flat as the Sony MDR-7506 but it is not very different either, which means that none of the frequency ranges are over-emphasized. Moreover, the noise isolation of the headphones is quite good while the foldable design makes them portable.

Overall, Sennheiser HD 280 Pro is one of the best cheap over-ear headphones you can buy without degrading the quality very much, although you might look at the other options if you want to buy headphones purely for music listening.

TaoTronics TT-B060 is the only pair of headphones on the list providing active noise cancellation, making them perfect for use in public. The comfort levels of these headphones are fine in terms of the headband and ear pads but the completely sealed ears get quite warm causing irritation after using the headphones for a while.

The sound signature of these headphones is quiet musical, with emphasis on the lows and highs. When the ANC is turned on, the bass gets a little weaker but the overall sound signature does not get affected very much. The active noise cancellation of these headphones is much better than noise isolating headphones but still, the headphones do not completely eliminate the ambient noise, providing a little awareness of the environment.

Overall, if you are not very keen about flat frequency response and praise the V-shaped sound signature, you will find these headphones to be the best over-ear Bluetooth headphones under $100, especially if want a pair of headphones for commuting.

Xiaomi 1More Triple Driver in-ear headphones are a great alternative to the over-ear or on-ear headphones under a hundred bucks and the three drivers in each of the earbuds ensure a distortion-free sound. The build quality of these earbuds feels very cheap and these are most likely to last a year or a bit more but the sound quality is quite impressive, leaving a powerful impression in the mind.

Overall, if you want to experience triple driver earphones, you will find them to be the best in-ear headphones under a hundred bucks, although use them with great care if you want them to last.

Jaybird X3 is a great pair of wireless earbuds, which can be used as sports headphones. The wireless design of these earbuds makes them great for running and the earbuds come with a lot of ear-adapters and nozzle-sleeves, providing wide compatibility. However, if the design of the earbuds is not as per your ears, the ear-adapters and sleeves won’t be very helpful, making you suffer from falling earbuds. The eight hours of playback time is quite impressive for these earbuds, as they are quite tiny in size. The frequency response of the headphones is quite flat, with a slight emphasis on the high-bass and under-emphasis on the midst and low-highs.

Overall, Jaybird X3 is one of the best bluetooth headphones under $100 and you will find them to be very good companion if they fit your ears nicely.

Buyer’s Guide

With such a huge range of headphones to choose from, even the high-end users get bamboozled. That is why we have written a guide to help you buy the best pair of headphones in the market, covering all your audio needs.

Headphones Style

There are three major styles in headphones which greatly govern the sound of the headphones namely; over-ear, on-ear, and in-ear style. Over-ear headphones are best in terms of sound quality and most of the high-end headphones use this style. The earcups of the headphones cover the ears totally, which results in a better soundstage. A disadvantage of using these headphones is that the ears of users get warm after using the headphones for a while, especially in the closed-back headphones. The on-ear headphones are quite close to the over-ear headphones, with ear cups being placed directly on the ears. This results in less comfort than the over-ear headphones, especially if your ears are outward or the clamping force of the headphones is high. The last type of headphones are in-ear headphones which are also known as earphones. The earphones are best in terms of ease of use and portability, however, their sound quality is not as good as a pair of over-ear or on-ear headphones for the same price.

Acoustic Principle

The acoustic principle of the headphones greatly affects the sound signature and overall sound quality. There are two major acoustic principles you would find in the headphones namely; open-back and closed-back principle. The open-back headphones are designed in such a way that their ear cups do not block the sound, with often a grill being used in the ear cups instead of a solid material. This creates a natural sound effect which is not found in the closed-back headphones, whose sound feels somewhat artificial. The soundstage of open-back headphones is also much better than closed-back headphones. However, the noise isolation of these headphones is horrible and the same can be said about the sound leakage. The closed-back headphones, on the other hand, are much better than the open-back headphones when handling lows and the sound is somewhat louder in these headphones too.

Sound Signature

The sound signature of the headphones explains the behavior of headphones for various frequency ranges. The audible frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz is divided into three major areas namely; lows, mids, and highs. The lows are responsible for handling the bass, the mids take care of the instrumental sounds while the highs take part in the shrill or high-pitched sounds. Every headset in the market provides a unique sound signature, where some of them focus on the bass, treble or mids, while others try to provide flat frequency response. If you want to analyze the audio recordings, then it will be better to buy headphones with a flat frequency response but if you want to enjoy the music, then you will be better off buying headphones with a V-shaped sound signature, where the bass and treble are emphasized.

Noise Reduction Capabilities

A lot of headphones are able to provide great noise isolation by taking advantage of the physical design while some of the headphones are able to eliminate most of the noise by active noise cancellation. The active noise cancellation electronically cancels-out the noise by means of destructive interference. The result is much better than noise isolating headphones and these headphones are great for commuting. The sound quality of these headphones is a bit lower than that of the regular headphones and if the headphones are wireless, the ANC greatly affects the battery. Therefore, we will recommend buying active noise canceling headphones if you want to buy headphones for commuting or for traveling and regular headphones if you will be using them in a quiet environment.

Comfort Levels

The major factors of the comfort in headphones are the earpads and the headband. The thicker ear pads are usually better in terms of comfort usually, although too much thickness can lead to very warm ears. The headband of the headphones also need to be very balanced, i.e. it needs not to be very thin to be poking in the head and not so much over-padded that it starts putting a lot of pressure on the head. Another parameter that affects comfort is the weight of the headset. The lower the weight is, the more time you will be able to spend with the headphones on your head without getting tired.

Connectivity

The connectivity of the headphones is important if you are frequently moving here and there. A lot of headphones in the market are now available with wireless connectivity, although most of the high-end headphones only provide wired connectivity. The reason behind this is that wireless technology has not advanced so much to compete with wired connectivity when it comes to sound quality. Since we are talking about headphones with a price tag of hundred dollars or lower, fortunately, the wireless headphones are almost the same as the wired headphones, however, with wireless headphones, you will have to bear the burden of charging.

Battery Timing

If you have decided to buy a pair of wireless headphones, you should definitely look at the battery ratings of the product. Over-ear headphones are able to provide battery timings of as much as forty hours, while in-ear headphones usually provide five to ten hours of battery.

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HeadphonesLab.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, HeadphonesLab.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.